Dressing inMale Mode

[joan47]

Of course I totally cross dress and havemany wigs and dresses. However, I feel very feminine 100% of the time, I have thin waxed eyebrows, pierced ears, shaved body, arylic nails. I think I may have 5% guy clothes now. Recently I have been wearing leggings and a tuinic sweater with tall leather boots, very feminine look in male mode. I just feel it is right to wear these clothes since I feel so feminine.
Do you wear feminine clothes and act girlish in male mode?

[Tracy - new dresser]

i try to as much as possible, pink shoes, womans boardshorts, shaved legs etc etc

cant wait til i go out with flats, pantyhose and painted nails on :)

[Kate Simmons]

Not necessarily Hon. I'm usually just myself in either mode. I normally only
"act" when I'm performing or dancing. :)

[Angela Campbell]

I am never totally in male mode. I always at least have on panties and sometimes womens jeans. Either way I have always been a little effeminate in the way I use my hands when talking, posture and such. More so lately as I quit trying so hard to hide it. I was taught as a young boy that the world frowns upon a male acting like a female even though it was more natural for me. To avoid the unpleasant attention I learned to act as a man and now I am slowly undoing some of that.

[Mollyanne]

There have been many occasions when my female side has overcome my male side and I have to cover it up. I hate doing that because I feel so much more feminine as opposed to being masculine(ugh ugh ugh)!!!!!!!

Molly

[bridget thronton]

Not sure I ever act girly, i try to be myself regardless of my apparel

[linda allen]

.......... Do you wear feminine clothes and act girlish in male mode?

Nope, not at all.

Well, I wear panties and often a bra but nobody can see them. And I don't act "girlish", I'm far too old for that. "Womanly" would be my age bracket, but after all these years of doing "manly" work and acting like a man, I can't really break the habbit. Besides, friends would think it was wierd.

[Beverley Sims]

I don't act girlish in any mode but I probably have more feminine traits in either mode.
Girlish is probably the wrong word to use in your question.

[Cheryl T]

I don't "ACT" in either mode. I am who I am.
As for clothing, most of my wardrobe is feminine and while I don't go out of my way to appear feminine or even androgynous when in male mode I am always wearing something(s) from my feminine wardrobe.

[thechic]

Thank god i no longer have to have a male mode,and its great.

[Diversity]

Hi Joan,
I normally enjoy being 'me' just as I am in both male and female clothes. When I dress 'en femme' I don't change the way I behave. I still maintain my male personality, and probably will always do so, as it feels fake and unatural to put on a female facade. Guess I'll never truly pass, but I will always truly be a man in female clothing, I guess. It's just me.....
Di

[ReineD]

However, I feel very feminine 100% of the time, I have thin waxed eyebrows, pierced ears, shaved body, arylic nails.

I'm not wanting to be contrary or anything, but I can tell you that as a GG, these things do not define femininity. I very seldom do my nails ... maybe twice per year (they break too easily and I gave up years ago). I don't always wear earrings. and on days like today, I'm in a hoodie and jeans with no makeup. Yet, I feel totally feminine, just as feminine as if I was all dressed up to go somewhere special.

Maybe it is the term "feminine" that needs adjusting. To me, "feminine" means how I see the world, how I feel about others and how I treat them, my need to do nurturing and caring things for others, my interest in working for the greater good rather than for just the self, how things affect me to the point of crying sometimes, how scared I get when alone at night and I think I hear an intruder in the house knowing that my chances of physically overpowering him are nil, how utterly frustrated I become when I cannot move that fridge that I need to move to get behind it, how the sun feels on my face, how my kids make me laugh with joy, how I see their souls no matter what they tell me, how I just know when someone else is hurting.

What you describe, I would describe as "feminine adornment". There is nothing wrong with that, everyone likes to feel pretty sometimes. But, this is not what feeling feminine is about. If you had said, "I feel pretty when I ...", then we would be speaking the same language, since I also know what it feels like to feel pretty when I've put in effort in my appearance. But, feeling pretty is only a very small aspect of being feminine. They're not the same thing.

[Diane Smith]

I always wear long, obviously colored hair, I have permanent eyeshadow and lip color, and long acrylic nails. None of these can ever be easily hidden no matter what else I'm wearing. In addition, I don't hesitate to wear high heels, nail polish or earrings even if my outer clothes are male. So I'd say any pretense of masculinity in my presentation disappeared a long time ago, although most people still regard me as male on first glance.

- Diane

[Eryn]

The only male items I wear in my everyday clothing are T-shirts! :) I habitually wear Levi's 505s, panties, women's socks and athletic shoes. My jackets/sweatshirts are also from the women's side of the aisle.

Despite this, nothing I wear is overtly femme. The fabrics may feel a bit nicer than male clothing but to an outside observer nothing is very far from the ordinary.

I don't feel particularly feminine in them but then again I don't really comprehend what feeling masculine is like so perhaps I just feel more like me! :)

[Georgina2]

Try to dress in what would be described female attire most days.Ready to go out this morning wearing high waist panties,bra and breast enhancers,female boot cut jeans,ankle boots with 2" cuban heel.Everything else including jewellery is female.Like you it just feels right.Also find when dressed in this way I do feel more feminine and seem to walk and act in a totally different way than if they were male designed items.

xxx Georgina xxx

[noeleena]

Hi.

This seems to be about feeling or feel as , feel as feminine .

To be honist the clothes makeup haveing your nails done earings jewery shoe's . none of this changes who i am. maybe the difference is i can wear those clothes & all any time, no restritions,
its a matter of do i need to. it comes down to i dont need clothes to be who i am ,

male clothes, have no need of or have any. so ill see it differently,

The male mode or how a male dress's was not something i could handle.... hated .....all male clothes, i would say if you wont to see a monkey go bezerck put me in male clothes, id rip them off, total hate of,

Im sorry i dont grasp the feminine in male mode. thats foreign to me, could not even act it let alone do it, im trying to think through this , you feel feminine wearing those clothes, feeling feminine & being girly, in male mode....hmmm.......

I have enough just being a woman let alone feminine as to girly im lost on that, & to top it off in male mode , that, would do my head in, talk about a headache id rather just sit in the sun, & have that with out thinking, okay im weird write me off, at least have a laugh,,,,,

...noeleena...

[Tracii G]

Its not so much what I wear is how I feel inside.
The way I look at things and how I treat people is just the way I am.
I have been told by both men and women that I don't act like a man and more like a woman.
My 1st ex wife was unnerved by this and she said I acted more like a woman than a man.I wasn't sure what I was back then.
I am just me a caring human being and love to talk things out and get a deeper understanding of peoples feelings.

[AnneB1nderful]

I am never totally in male mode. I always at least have on panties and sometimes womens jeans. Either way I have always been a little effeminate in the way I use my hands when talking, posture and such. More so lately as I quit trying so hard to hide it. I was taught as a young boy that the world frowns upon a male acting like a female even though it was more natural for me. To avoid the unpleasant attention I learned to act as a man and now I am slowly undoing some of that.

I can relate. Major difference is when I'm in man mode I can't wear anything feminine anymore. It's too distracting. I would keep thinking about wanting to wear more and become immersed in femininity. I can't get things done. Yet, my appearance has changed so much over the past few months that I almost look like a FTM crossdresser when in man mode.

Now regarding femininity. I don't think any of us except GGs (FABs) can understand pure femininity. But I think the rest of us have a desire to emulate femininity as best we can. Many of us can relate more toward women than men. So, what we do to outwardly express those inner feelings is dress like a woman to help us feel more feminine.

We label behavior as masculine or feminine. Example: crying when happy is labeled as feminine behavior. Some of the most macho men may find themselves doing that at times. Does that make them feminine? No. Does wearing a skirt and heels while crying make them feminine? Well like most of you said, "it's how you feel inside." But to the rest of the world he would appear to be much more feminine in girly attire regardless how he feels inside.

So, I think when we CDers say dressing and acting as a woman makes us feel more feminine, it's more of being able to outwardly express how we feel inside. And it's important to some of us that the world see us more feminine (how we feel on the inside). Which, in turn, makes us "feel" more feminine.

For me, when I'm in manly clothes, I can act all girly, but I don't "feel" as feminine as when I'm dressed in women's and acting all girly. Similarly, I have a hard time feeling and acting masculine while dressed in female attire. My attire doesn't change who I am. But it does change how I project who I am. Which makes me "feel" differently inside.

Does this makes sense to anyone else?

[jillleanne]

I don't "ACT" in either mode. I am who I am.
As for clothing, most of my wardrobe is feminine and while I don't go out of my way to appear feminine or even androgynous when in male mode I am always wearing something(s) from my feminine wardrobe.

Cheryl, you are a class act. I feel the same way. If men could only realize how fabulous stretch jeans feel and look. Shhhhsh!!!! They don't need to know.

[LaraPeterson]

Joan, I was not "raised" effeminate, so I can't say that I act girlish in male mode, even though I try very hard to mimic feminine movements when I'm dressed. I do believe I understand your feelings though. It takes one to know one.

[TeresaL]

I'm a man in male mode and woman when I express my feminine side. However, my SO declared I was in my female mode last night because I was witchy and catty. I rapidly denied it though because I was just being me, and what she was saying kinda went over my head. I'm not aware of switching. Plus, I'm a pretty plain Jane old gal. Havent been out in a skirt or dress in fifteen years. But when I go out now, I just try to blend. That's all. I wear slacks, sweaters or long sleeve T's. I've figured out a voice that works for me, so that I'm not a foghorn.

So I guess I feel feminine when it all comes together and I am in the midst of women without ado. Kind of mundane in a way. Oh well.

Uh. I'm not sure if that was a feminine moment or not.

[Angela Campbell]

I can relate. Major difference is when I'm in man mode I can't wear anything feminine anymore. It's too distracting. I would keep thinking about wanting to wear more and become immersed in femininity. I can't get things done.

I can understand that. I just do not like wearing mens clothes much so I try not to but I still need to look like a man so it is a trade off. And like you I am somewhat concerned that I may be losing the "man mode" if things keep going in this direction. Not sure what I can do about it though. Its kind of funny. I can be shaving in man mode and see a stray eyebrow hair and just have to deal with it right away. There was a time I wouldn't have even noticed it.

[velece]

Eryn,
I believe the quote "What do you care what other people think?", was actually Feynman's wife, Arline, speaking to him. But it's been a few years since I read "Genius", so I could be wrong, frequently am. It took me most of a lifetime to figure out who I am.
Velece

[Eryn]

Velice, you're absolutely correct. I was confused because he later used the line as the title of one of his books. I have corrected my .sig to reflect this.

To bring things back on topic, one thing that has changed in my wardrobe is my color choices. I used to wear a lot of black and grey shirts and now I prefer brighter colors. They're not quite femme, but they are a lot less drab and I can still get away with them in male mode.

[AnneB1nderful]

And like you I am somewhat concerned that I may be losing the "man mode" if things keep going in this direction. Not sure what I can do about it though. Its kind of funny. I can be shaving in man mode and see a stray eyebrow hair and just have to deal with it right away. There was a time I wouldn't have even noticed it.

That's so funny. I do the same thing. I really like being a girl so much. I can't wait to get home and immerse myself in who I really want to be. I've been going out a lot too. My femme voice is getting better. Anne went into Toys R Us to get my grandchildren some presents. I was wearing heeled boots. So I stood at least 6'5. I walked in and, I kid you not, I hardly got a second look! I hope this isn't some kind of delusion, but I feel like I get more odd looks in "man mode" now than I do when in "Anne mode". I mean it could just be that I'm getting that I don't care (IDC) attitude. Either way, I'm feeling "pretty" darn good about myself.

[velece]

Eryn,
I thought it kind of funny, he's the genius, and she's telling him a very human thing. A tragic love story, he's one of my heroes. I think he would have been accepting of all. Even we.
Velece

[emma30]

Joan,
Great question that you raised, i am a man with a very masculine job however i feel quite intimidated sometimes in this role by other men. I put on a persona that gets me through but i know down inside i could easily behave in a completely femenine way. Circumstances control my personality. When i dress as a woman i instantly change and feel more comfortable in this role. It makes me feel liberated from being a man. I am completely i the closet and married with children and that role is fine i love been a father and a husband but i would be totally girly if my life had gone in a different direction. I dream sometimes of living on my own in a place filled with femenine things but in the whole i have the best of both worlds.

[flatlander_48]

Age is an interesting concept as it often allows you to realize that there isn't any point to doing something that you habitually do. Case in point is physical movement. For years (I'm 64 now) I carried myself in a rather rigid typically male mode. Amybe 12 or 14 years ago I realized that it wasn't really necessary to do that. It took a long time, but my stance and movements have relaxed to the point where I don't worry about my walk being considered more female than male. It's both a physical and mental thing...

[cyndigurl45]

Do you mean to tell me that leggings a tunic and boots aren't already guy clothes??? that explains alot LOL

[becky77]

That's so funny. I do the same thing. I really like being a girl so much. I can't wait to get home and immerse myself in who I really want to be. I've been going out a lot too. My femme voice is getting better. Anne went into Toys R Us to get my grandchildren some presents. I was wearing heeled boots. So I stood at least 6'5. I walked in and, I kid you not, I hardly got a second look! I hope this isn't some kind of delusion, but I feel like I get more odd looks in "man mode" now than I do when in "Anne mode". I mean it could just be that I'm getting that I don't care (IDC) attitude. Either way, I'm feeling "pretty" darn good about myself.

Awesome story. And the glamour of Toys R us lol ;)

I have had to teach myself to be manly to the point where I have lost alot of my natural femininity. I also work in a manly orientated job, my wife used to constantly tell me about the way I sit and the way I stand. So I am the opposite I had to butch up.
Apparently everyone always thought I was gay anyway so what's the point!

[suchacutie]

Tina just can't imagine acting like a guy (not after all this work to put that aside when it's Tina time!). In the same vein, it's only fair that my guy side gets his time too. After 55 years of not understanding that I had a merged set of personalities, it's incredibly freeing to be able to be a guy some of the time and let Tina take care of being feminine!

I just love the separation, the understanding of the differences, and the ability to finally be gender-consistent in either mode! I, for one, don't want to blur my genders. I love both of them without dilution :)

[SandraInHose]

I don't 'act' ladylike when dressed other than maybe try and walk steadier in my high heels. I can't really cross my legs comfortably, and still sit like a guy in a skirt (legs apart). I'm not passable anyway, and nobody's seen me dressed except my wife a few times many years ago.

I do wear pantyhose under my male clothes all the time, and those few occasions when the kids are out of the house I'll just wear shorts over my pantyhose while watching TV or eating dinner. Although I swear I don't act differently at all, my wife insists that I do when my legs are exposed. I honestly think it's her perception of me rather than anything I'm doing, but I still consciously make sure I don't act any differently.

[Loni]

what are guy clothes?
only items you will find here are from the woman's dept.

[Jessica Who]

I have been described as "metrosexual" because of my pierced ears and arched eyebrows. In male mode, I'll wear pink and lavender polos :)

[k lynn]

I am just me Some people say I walk like a woman my ex wife said it quite often I apere as male my head is shaved from baldness I am quite muscular from working out but I wear a bra and panties everyday and at least 3 days a week a pair of VS v bootcut cut jeans I dont wear make up or do my nails But even my friends say I dont act like a male or really a female Iam just me

[willnotwill]

Sure, why not. Meggings are making an appearance as well. I tend to wear my running stuff (which is tecnically guy stuff, but they are tights afterall) so I'll have a long windbreaker and tights underneath. I have a TG friend who I knew through the transition phases when she was wearing rather ambigous apparel . Couldn't really tell if she was being feminine, or it was a guy caught in the 70's disco center-parted haircut and satin shirt era.